Changed Wolf Read online

  Changed Wolf

  Whiteheart Clan Book 3

  Chloe Peterson

  Contents

  Author's Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Author's Note

  Wait! This book is the third in the series, and while each has a standalone couple and happy ending, they are best read in order.

  You can find the first two here:

  1.Outlaw Dragon

  2.Wounded Bear

  Enjoy!

  1

  A loud thud jerked Zoe Dagiel awake. She quickly sat up and reached for the dagger that sat on her bedside table. Zoe clenched the weapon in her fist and gently stood.

  Whoever dared break into the house of the Darksong Second was about to regret their decision.

  Adrenaline flooded Zoe's veins as she steadily crept toward the door. She leveled her breathing and steadied her heartbeat. Right now, she needed stealth, not a nervous ball of energy that was better suited to combat.

  A male giggle floated through her door followed by a loudly whispered "sorry."

  Zoe exhaled loudly. "Chase," she said, her voice low.

  Zoe placed her dagger on her bedside table and gaped at the clock. It was four in the morning. Chase was taking his nights out a little too far.

  It's what normal twenty-year-olds do.

  Zoe smiled, then padded toward her bathroom. After relieving herself, she washed her face and then stared at herself. There was no chance of her falling asleep again. She wasn't wired that way.

  Years spent training with her father for a life of battle had trained Zoe's body to stay awake once she came to consciousness. She had a long day ahead of her, and her early rising was only going to make it longer.

  Zoe stared at the dark eyed, dark haired woman before her and sighed.

  "I don't know why you thought your life would somehow be easier at thirty."

  As a teenager, Zoe had made several promises to herself and others that certain things would change once she reached that age. As a teenager, thirty seemed far away.

  Now that she was here and hadn't accomplished all she'd hoped to, she found herself still burning with the desires she had as a teenager.

  Desires that didn't belong in the heart of a Darksong Second.

  Zoe groaned, then left the bathroom. She made the best choices she could with the cards she'd been dealt. There was no going back on them now.

  Zoe crept across the hall to her brother's room. As a wolf shifter, enhanced vision in the dark allowed her to check in on her brother without needing to turn on a light. Zoe smiled as she watched a passed-out Chase snoring while lying on his back with his mouth wide open.

  Mom would have loved hanging out with you.

  With blonde hair and blue eyes, Chase was the spitting image of their mother, and as such, a direct contrast in appearance to Zoe.

  Where Zoe had the wiry muscles of one hardened in battle, Chase had the lean muscles of a gym goer. Where Zoe had the striking good looks created by an angled face, Chase had chubby cheeks that gave him a baby face.

  Zoe tiptoed to his bedside and bent to kiss his forehead. While she and Chase looked completely different, they were alike on the inside. Unfortunately for them, the Darksong wasn't a clan where sensitive souls that wanted to do good and find love thrived.

  I'm glad that at least one of us gets to do that.

  Once it became painfully obvious to Zoe that Chase was growing into the opposite of what a Darksong male should be, she made a difficult decision. She was only a teenager at the time, but she committed her life to change the Darksong so that people like she and Chase could find happiness.

  Over the years, Zoe had learned just how difficult her goal was. She never lost sight of it, but she focused on protecting Chase. Thankfully, her father made that goal a lot more achievable for Zoey.

  When Zoe's mother died in childbirth with Chase, her father placed the burden of raising Chase on Zoe. She never once resented his decision. It meant that Zoe could keep Chase away from the worst of Darksong life.

  Zoe left her brother's room and made her way downstairs to her office. After almost a decade as the Darksong Second, she'd found the importance of having a separate space to do her work.

  Not because it led to more productivity, but because she wanted every other part of the home she shared with her brother to be free of the darkness of her clan's work.

  As she opened a file, Zoe read through the latest report from the clan's accountant. Because of the illegal nature of an overwhelming amount of their activity, online reports were too high a risk.

  The Darksong were involved in the drug trade, arms dealing, and in the past, trafficking. If a hacker from another clan got their hands on them, then the Darksong would have another war on their hands.

  Zoe had dreamt that by thirty, she'd have used her influence as Second to change the source of the Darksong's money. She hoped that she'd slowly shift her father's attention from the illegal trade by creating profitable businesses in the legitimate sector.

  Zoe scoffed. She'd been an ignorant fool. But, surprisingly, all the years of disappointment had lit a fire under her. If she was destined to live a life she didn't want, then she was damn sure going to make it count.

  "Just gotta take it one day at a time."

  Zoe inhaled, then settled down into overseeing the part of their operation that her father had left in her capable hands.

  Her father, Reirder Dagiel, had asked for a private meeting with Zoe later in the day. While she didn't know exactly what he wanted to talk about, she knew that one topic would definitely get slipped in:

  Her lack of a mate.

  * * *

  Hours later, Zoe parked her car just outside of what the Darksong called "The Farm." It was a large piece of land just outside their in-town territory, where their Alpha, his lieutenants, and his principal subordinates lived. Significant clan meetings were held there too.

  As Second, Zoe should have lived on the farm, but she'd somehow managed to convince her father that the Darksong needed a strong presence in their part of Falhurst where a lot of business was conducted.

  Ever eager to lord over others, her father had agreed. So, Zoe had packed up both her and Chase's things and moved to a lovely townhouse in town.

  As the Alpha's son, a lot was expected of Chase. Once they were away from the farm, Zoe had quickly and systematically worked to destroy her father's interest in grooming Chase for Alpha.

  It had taken a lot of lies, to both her brother and her father, but it seemed she'd won. Her father saw Chase as a weakling, and Chase saw their father as a monster.

  "And in the process, I trapped myself," Zoe muttered as she walked along the crudely constructed driveway to her father's home which sat in the center of the farm.

  As much as she hated her life, she wouldn't have it any other way. Protecting Chase gave Zoe peace at night. And the other plans she'd put into motion were starting to give her fulfillment.

  I guess loneliness is the price I have to pay for that.

  Zoe knocked on the massive doors of her father's office.

  "Come in," a low voice answered.

  Most Alphas would have at least two bodyguards with them at all times. But not Reirder Dagiel. He was a well-known and feared warrior. Unfortunately, he'd used that fear to build a business deeply connected to both underground shifter and underground human worlds.


  On the bright side, he'd taught Zoe to fight and overcome physical pain. He may have been a monster, but he'd given his daughter something valuable. He'd taught her grit and determination. And now she was using those skills to undermine him.

  "You wanted to see me?" Zoe asked, standing with her legs apart, her arms behind her back.

  Her father looked up at her, his dark eyes and hair a mirror of hers. His face was angled too, but unlike Zoe, there was no beauty in his features. His dark eyes drank Zoe in, calculating as they always did.

  "I wanted to tell you about our latest shipment. I'm keeping it off the books. I've finally concluded that we have a mole."

  Zoe's heartbeat raced, but she clenched her fist in a bid to keep her nerves calm. She'd hoped that the erratic pattern of the stealing she'd been doing would give her more time to work unhindered before her father found out it was an inside job.

  There's so much more for me to do!

  With every theft, Zoe had been steadily planting ideas in her father's mind about other ways for the Darksong to create wealth. She'd emphasized the need to invest in businesses that had lower risks.

  Now that plan looked ready to collapse.

  "Why do you think we have a mole?" Zoe cocked her head.

  Reirder's lips curled, but Zoe couldn't call it a smile. It was a feral look, and his black eyes glinted.

  "Because every warehouse that's been hit has been one stupidly close to our territory. That suggests that whoever's been planning this could drive around and not draw attention."

  "Huh. That makes sense." Zoe smiled and widened her eyes. "I never thought of it like that."

  Her demeanor showed amusement, but deep down inside, her heart was thudding against her chest. She'd overlooked the proximity of her heists to the Darksong territory.

  Due to her heavy schedule, she couldn't take long trips. That would raise suspicion and exhaust her.

  You live, and you learn.

  Her father stood and walked around his desk, leaning against it and folding his arms. "That's why I've rented a warehouse near the Jerry farm. It's going to serve as the stash location for our next shipment. I've instructed Jared to hire a couple of men to do security. I only want people with no interest in stealing from me and people I trust involved in this"

  Zoe frowned. "Okay. But what do I have to do with this? Aiden's in charge of all our transportation."

  "I need to prove that he's not the mole. Until then, he won't be involved. We've just purchased a dozen organ donors that we'll be reselling. Because this is off the books, we won't be able to use our usual contacts at the border. I want you, Jared, and the two men to drive the women across to meet our buyer."

  Zoe's stomach dropped, and bile rose in her throat. "I thought we were done with the trafficking business."

  Reirder shrugged. "With all our stolen goods, we need to make up the money somehow."

  "We're doing good, financially. Better, even. The new club we opened in the Center is attracting a lot of humans. We don't need this type of business. I don't want anything to do with it."

  Reirder raised his hand, and his eyes hardened. "I made a decision for the future of this clan. You'll do well to respect it."

  Zoe lowered her head. "Yes Alpha," she gritted out.

  Zoe knew better than to question her father so directly. He responded best to her suggestions when she dropped subtle crumbs and poured him a stiff drink.

  "Look," her father said. "The Darksong aren't just here to maintain the status quo. We need to grow and expand until we rule it all. For that, we need money and influence. Trafficking helps with that."

  Zoe nodded and stared over her father's shoulder. She'd worked tirelessly to get the club up and running to the point where it was bringing in a significant amount of money. With a single decision, her father had taken their clan back a couple of steps.

  "Remember," her father said, "I need you to meet Jared at the warehouse near the Jerry farm in three days’ time. This is our first shipment for this new client, and I need it to go smoothly."

  "Understood." Zoe raised her eyebrows. "If that's all, I need to get back into work."

  "It isn't. I need an heir, and you're nowhere near ready to give me one."

  Zoe swallowed thickly, and sweat broke out over her back. "I told you I need a little more time."

  "You've been saying that for years, Zoe. But you don't have a mate, and from what I hear, you're not even dating."

  "I'm busy working as your Second. That takes a lot of time and effort."

  "Then maybe you should step down." Her father's eyes bore into her, and they locked gazes for a good thirty seconds.

  Zoe's father was an expert at finding a person's weakness and using it against them. He'd taken that skill from the battlefield and applied it to his leadership. And now Zoe found herself caught in his path.

  "Are all my years of service to you worth so little?"

  "No, but I need an heir. What good is it to build something that has no future? You have six months to find a mate, Zoe. After that, I'll start leaning on Chase to give me an heir. Lord knows he beds enough women to get the job done."

  Zoe drew a sharp breath and blinked rapidly. Her father was hitting all her weak spots at one time. Her luck had run out.

  It was unfathomable, but Zoe Dagiel, a lesbian, would have to mate a man within six months.

  She'd come too far and sacrificed too much to let her father ruin all her hard fought for progress.

  "Fine. Within six months, I will be mated. I can start trying for a baby then."

  "Good." Her father smiled. "Let's just hope it’s a boy, so you only have to go through that once."

  Reirder Dagiel lowered his head and waved a dismissive hand in Zoe's direction. She bowed, then walked out of his office as fast as she could.

  Blood rushed in her ears as she made her way through the hallways of her father's mansion. All these years, she'd fought to achieve significant change from her position as Second. But it was futile because her father could always unravel her life with one tug.

  "Whoa," Jax said, as Zoe bumped into him at the door of her father's house. "Where the hell are you running off to?"

  Zoe shrugged and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I don't know. I just need to get out of here. My father's given me six months to find a mate, or he'll force Chase into giving him an heir."

  Jax's face paled, making his black hair and dark eyes stand out even more in contrast. He, more than anyone, knew how hard Zoe had worked to keep her father away from Chase.

  "So, that means that we're on?"

  Zoe objected. "No. It means that I'm on. I won't make you uphold a promise you made when we were nineteen."

  In her late teens, Zoe had finally decided to explore her sexuality. It was during her first trip to the Titanrun that she bumped into Jax, who was at that time just another Darksong male. They'd kept each other's secret and become close friends in the months that passed.

  Then, on one drunken night, Jax and Zoe had promised that if it ever came to a point where they were forced to mate, they would choose each other and have a child.

  Jax exhaled. "Trust me; it wouldn't just be for you. My parents are leaning on me too." Jax placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder and squeezed it. "At least the pressure would stop, and we could move on with our lives."

  "That's easy for you to say. All you'd have to do is give sperm at an IVF clinic. I'm the one that would have to carry a baby for nine months, Jax!"

  Jax winced. "That came out wrong. I meant that in a way it would be great to have people stop bringing it up all the time. But you're right. It would be a lot harder for you. Sorry for acting like a jerk."

  Zoe gave Jax a fake smile. "It's okay. Look, I've got to get going."

  Jax stepped out of her way. "Why don't we meet tonight? We can talk about everything or get drunk and not talk about it at all."

  "I've got plans," Zoe said over her shoulder. "Maybe next time."

  Zoe's heart ached at
the way Jax's grin dropped. They had been each other's support system for decades, and here she was shutting him out.

  It's got to be that way. I won't put his life in danger. Getting those women out from Dad's thumb within the next three days would definitely do that.

  2

  Giselle watched Brooke sigh for the third time that night and shook her head.

  "What is it, Brooke?"

  "Nothing."

  Giselle chuckled. "Let's save that coy talk for your next girlfriend. Tell it to me straight. What's eating you?"

  Giselle leaned a hip against the counter of the bar and folded her arms. It was a slow Friday night for the Titanrun, but Giselle understood that everyone wanted to check out the new club in town.

  Thanks to her new friend, Giselle knew that the Darksong owned the club. The powerful wolf clan had done a great job of distancing themselves from their latest project. They wouldn't have anywhere near the numbers they currently did if people knew they owned it.

  Unlike her boss, Giselle wasn't worried about the new competition. Shiny new things were great, but Boslend's LGBT shifter community needed a place where they could be themselves.

  The Titanrun was the only club of its kind. They'd be back in no time. In the meantime, Giselle could take advantage of a slower night to help her friend out.

  "No one's eating me!" Brooke threw her hands up in the air. "I think that's the problem."

  Giselle threw her head back and laughed. "Seriously? You think a lack of sex is what's got you in this funk?"

  Brooke shrugged. "Partly. Add the fact that Rowan is all loved up, and you can see the shambles that my social life has turned to."

  "First of all, Rowan isn't your only friend. The rest of us are pretty cool too."

  "I know, but it's always been her and me for the longest time. Now, it's her and Eva. I feel like I lost someone."